Regional Director, Vocational Programs

Regional Program Director
Midwest CEO Office Locations
Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Pontiac
In-person

Anticipated deadline to submit application: April 3, 2026 by 5pm EST. Position may close early if application limit is met. Apply promptly for full consideration.

The Opportunity

The Regional Program Director is responsible for overseeing all aspects of replication and operation of the CEO vocational model across multiple sites, including hiring and developing high-performing local program leadership and ensuring achievement of program performance goals, adherence to the vocational budget, and compliance with performance-based contracts. The Director will collaborate with their region’s Social Enterprise leadership and team to support participants through transitional job training and workforce development. The Director will work with other Program Support teams to assist in the cultivation and stewarding of funding partners, improvement in learning and program quality, and collaboration on system and process improvements.

As part of our mission, we strongly encourage individuals who have lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system to apply for this role.

Who We Are

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides employment services to people recently released from incarceration. Across the United States, 8,000-9,000 people participate in CEO each year, transitioning to employment that supports themselves, their families, and their communities.

What began as a demonstration project of the Vera Institute of Justice in the 1970s to address employment barriers facing the formerly incarcerated following release in New York City has grown into the leading reentry employment organization in the country, where over 30,000 formerly incarcerated individuals have secured full-time employment since 1996.

Who You Are

• You have at least 7+ years of demonstrated leadership and program management experience within a mission-driven organization
• You are proficient in leading direct and indirect reports to meet performance based goals 
• You are proficient in leading teams to collect, analyze, and apply data to drive program strategy and decision making
• You have proficiency with technology, including Google Suite and Salesforce
• You are a strong communicator, advisor, and negotiator, with demonstrated ability to build relationships with stakeholders of all levels
• You have a strong ability at coaching others, supporting them in identifying their development areas and navigating solutions and motivating action
• You have organizational and management skills that lead to effective juggling of multiple team and org-wide priorities
• You demonstrate respect, fairness, patience and efficiency to participants, employees and others to problem-solve and satisfy their needs with the resources available
• You demonstrate the ability to identify and/or anticipate a problem, analyze the situation, offer and/or seek assistance in order to identify solutions and, when appropriate, decide on and implement a course of action
• You can work effectively under pressure and at a sustained pace, maintaining focus on objectives despite setbacks or opposition
• You are dedicated to achieving personal, team and organizational goals through time management, data analysis, focused communications and teamwork, and continuous learning
• You are deeply committed to achieving CEO’s mission, the work it involves and CEO’s future success by inspiring, motivating and supporting others to engage, perform and do what it takes to meet this commitment
• You are comfortable making decisions and taking a leading role; exhibit sound judgment when facing uncertainty; reach conclusions in a timely manner using the best available evidence and data; adapt to new circumstances quickly, develop alternative strategies and weigh the risks of implementing them; exhibit urgency when resolving issues or managing stressful situations
• You can direct operational activities and monitor performance with emphasis on efficiency and quality, customer satisfaction, and model/procedural adherence

What You’ll Be Responsible For

Key responsibilities of the Regional Program Director include but are not limited to:

Program Leadership (Vocational)

• Provides leadership and guidance to vocational operations at multiple sites, accountable for ensuring implementation of the CEO vocational model with fidelity and building capacity at each office to achieve program outcomes
• Work with local leadership to set and achieve impactful, measurable annual goals for vocational programming.